Chennai History, India

Chennai is the capital of Tondaimandalam, a province of India. It is found near the river of Pennar in Nellore and Cuddalore.

The first rulers of Chennai

The Pallavas were the one of the first settlers and rulers of Chennai. For several years—from 3000 AD to ninth century—they led the people except for those years when the entire region was under the control of the Kalabhras. However, the Pallavas were later overthrown by the Chola, with Aditya I, as the leader in 879 AD. Since then Chennai, known then as Madras, was under the Chola pseudo-government. The Cholas were later followed by the Pandyas and then the establishment of the Bahmini Kingdom.

The arrival of the Dutch

Because of its closeness to the sea, Chennai became a favorite harbor and port of foreigners, especially for the Europeans. In 1612, a group of Dutch men arrived in the city and developed a colony in Pulicat, which was located in the north. Later on, the British East India Company—an organization involved trading various kinds of goods such as silk, tea, and opium—opened a factory in Armagon. However, because of the poor product quality, the company, through the leadership of Francis Day, decided to explore new territories, and eventually found Pondicherry.

The development of Chennai

The St. George Fort played a pivotal role for the economic development and social growth of the people of Chennai. It was actually a fortress built by the British East India Company. With the construction of the fort, there are more and more people who engaged in business such as trading. This edifice still stands even today and is now being managed by the Office of the Chief Minister and the legislative assembly of the Tamil Nadu.

The independence of India

In 1968, India was granted its independence and appointed Madras as the seat of the government. The name of the city was also changed to Tamil Nadu. However, this didn’t happen without any fanfare. During the state reorganization in 1953, a number of Telugu individuals desired to have Madras as the main capital of another town, which was Andhra Pradesh. These eventually led to the co-existence of the Telugu-speaking tribe and the Tamils, who were one of the early settlers of the place.

Chennai today

Chennai is considered to be an industrial and commercial district in India. A lot of auto manufacturing companies in India are operating their businesses here. It’s also an outsourcing hub, where several companies are now offering financial and information technology services to other nationalities.